Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
by willwork4donuts
Summary: Beast Boy and Raven are both tired of being betrayed, but will their attempt at a relationship end in betrayal as well? If it sounds cheesy, that's because it is!
1. Chapter 1

** Author's Note**: This is my second fic, hope you enjoy! Please review, and any constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated. Thank you. Also, I promise the other chapter's will get better, I'm just super bad with introductions! My apologies for that.

* * *

Beast Boy lay sprawled on his bed staring at the ceiling. At first glance one would think the young man was simply daydreaming or fighting boredom, but he was thinking. He was thinking about yesterday, when he overheard Raven talking to herself.

* * *

"Why does this always happen to me!?" Raven thought out loud.

"Every time I try to put my trust in someone, they betray me!"

"Is there anyone out there that I can even trust anymore!?

* * *

At the moment, Beast Boy wanted to do nothing more than barge into her room and yell, "Um, YEAH, if you would just look RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" However, he had wisely resisted the urge that would have probably had him killed for eavesdropping on the girl, as well as for invading the sanctity of her room. Beast Boy completely understood how she must have felt when Malchior had tricked her, as he remembered how he had once been betrayed by a certain blonde girl. Despite the way they tried to portray themselves, he couldn't help but think that they really were similar in this way.

The more he thought about this, the angrier he got.

* * *

_'Why can't she see how much we are alike?' _

_'If she really wants someone who won't hurt her, then why won't she at least give me a chance?'_

_'I guess I'm just cursed to go after what I can never have_.'

* * *

The frustrated Titan slowly rose from his bed and waded to his door through a pile of empty pizza boxes and Adventure Time comic books.  
When he opened the door he was met with an unexpected surprise.

"Uh, Hi Raven.", the green teen said as he looked at the girl presenting a plate of tofu eggs and waffles to him.

She bluntly replied, "Hopefully you're hungry, because I just spent two hours learning how to cook tofu for you."

"Gee...um...thanks Rae."

"Is there something wrong Beast Boy?"

"Not at all! It's just, kind of…unexpected."

Just as he was about to take a bite of the wonderful gift of food he was given, he quickly stopped, fork-in-hand.

"Wait...this isn't poisoned is it?"

"Why can't I just make a meal for a friend?"

"Well, it's never happened before Rae."

Raven tried to hide her growing lack of patience with the green teen.

"First time for everything! Now here, it's for you! If you don't want to appreciate me being nice, then that's your problem!"

With all suspicions of an assassination attempt gone, Beast Boy quickly accepted the meal and thanked Raven for her selfless act.

* * *

Beast Boy walked into the kitchen and sat at the large table in the middle of the room. As he was scarfing down his Raven-made breakfast, he couldn't help but wonder why she would suddenly be so friendly towards him.

'_Is she trying to make up for all the times she didn't laugh at my jokes_?'

He shook his head.

_'That can't be it._'

Then it hit him. Maybe, just maybe, this was her way of showing she cared. Maybe she possibly even lov-

_'Not in a million years. Raven thinks I'm too much of a kid to ever even consider that.'_

Although it seemed all to impossible in his mind, he couldn't help but wonder-

_'But what if. What if she cared, just a little bit more.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Extremely short chapter, sorry about that.

Mornings. Oh how he hated them.

Beast Boy usually enjoyed seeing the sunrise early in the morning, but his severe lack of sleep prevented this. He had spent his entire night, tossing and turning, his mind refusing to give him peace. No matter how hard he tried to silence his thoughts, his mind would not let go of yesterday's happenings. He kept trying to come up with a logical explanation for Raven's behavior, but he could not let go of that one hopeful thought.

_'Could she really feel that way towards me?'_

Deciding he needed to solve his perpetually nagging question, he sought the highest form of mental guidance available. Yahoo Answers.

"What are typical signs that a girl likes you? Girls only please." After typing in his question, he felt embarrassed for asking something that should seem so simple to answer. Despite this, he waited a few minutes until eventually an anonymous bored female decided to answer.

"Lol, guys always seem to have problems with this one. I'll keep it simple. Some girls are flirty by nature, so looking for signs isn't always a good way of knowing. And then there are girls that are too shy too even say hello. Those kind are extremely hard to read. I guess what I'm trying to say is, just ask her. The worst that can happen is she says no."

He considered this for a moment. This girl obviously didn't know Raven. The worst that could happen to him would be a gentle no, and then an eternity spent in an alternate dimension. Still, the girl did make some good sense. If he really wanted to know, what better way than to ask? He needed to be courageous. He had to break the dreaded Friend Zone!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: I made this chapter much longer than the last one, hopefully that's an improvement. I'm sorry for finishing this chapter with a cliffhanger situation, but that's what makes waiting fun :) Anyways, please review!

* * *

Three days had passed since his decision to question the girl's thoughts on him, and Beast Boy still had yet to muster up the courage to do so. He had found himself very close to telling Raven about his affections towards her, but each time he tried he quickly changed the subject, mumbled beyond human hearing, or simply sprinted out of the tower in a fit of embarrassment.

Some may have thought he was overreacting or becoming overly anxious, but these people have obviously never tried to confess love to someone with the power of destroying an entire universe.

* * *

Today, however, Beast Boy felt would be different. Waking up to the sunrise, he looked out over the Jump City bay. The birds were chirping, the fish were splashing, the sun was shining a golden-yellow, the entire city seemed in perfect harmony.

* * *

Okay, so his morning wasn't _that_ perfect. He woke up to the tower's alarm system blaring.

He rushed out of his bed and into the common room, where Robin was giving the team a set of hasty, pre-mission instructions.

"We only have an estimated thirty minutes to stop Plasmus before he gets to the nuclear power pla-

Robin paused, staring at Beast Boy with a blank expression on his face. The remaining members of the team followed suit.

"What's everyone looking at?" It was then that Beast Boy looked down and realized the situation.

* * *

He quickly returned from the trip to his room, this time, fully clothed. Apparently in his rush he had forgotten that he was still in his green, dinosaur-printed boxers.

Shaking off his embarrassment, he listened as Robin continued giving his instructions.

"Titans, go!"

* * *

It did not take long for the Titans to locate Plasmus. Even to the untrained eye, a fifty-foot-tall slime monster is extremely hard to miss.

As the giant mutant walked downtown towards the nuclear power plant, he left everything in his path covered in pink, toxic sludge. This inspired Beast Boy to make a poor-timed joke.

"Jump City is definitely going to need some Bounty paper towels after this."

Robin gave him a stern look.

"What!? It's the quicker-picker-upper!"

Starfire giggled at Beast Boy's bad attempt at comedy, while Raven simply face-palmed.

"Hello!? Maybe we should start fighting Plasmus. Sounds like a good idea right 'bout now", yelled Cyborg.

The team responded instinctively.

Turning into a pterodactyl, Beast Boy grabbed Cyborg by the shoulders, flying him over their target. Starfire flew beside the duo, pelting Plasmus with a series of starbolts. Raven did her best to slow down the gelatinous monstrosity by enveloping it in a cloud of dark energy. And Robin, well, he was doing all he could to catch up, being unaided by powers.

Beast Boy released Cyborg, who landed on top of Plasmus' head, if you want to call it that.

"Because of you, I didn't have time to eat my bacon!", Cyborg angrily exclaimed as he jammed his arm inside the beast before firing his sonic cannon.

Everyone within one hundred yards of the blast became covered with pink gunk, even Raven, who had made a futile attempt to shield herself.

Beast Boy looked over at her and although his initial impulse was to laugh uncontrollably, he managed to silence himself. He found himself thinking, despite her being covered in toxic goo, she was still very beautiful.

Robin checked the scene and decided the victory belonged to Cyborg, who he congratulated multiple times on the way back to the tower. Starfire and the two left for a victory celebration at the tower, leaving our main characters behind.

Beast Boy walked over to Raven, who was now brushing off as much of the sludge as she could.

"Are you okay, Rae"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just need a shower in the worst way."

As they continued walking across the city, Beast Boy thought to himself _'If you're gonna do it, you have to do it now_.'

"Hey Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I, um, ask you something?"

"I may not have the answer, but sure, shoot."


	4. Chapter 4

As they continued walking across the city, Beast Boy thought to himself 'If you're gonna do it, you have to do it now.'

"Hey Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I, um, ask you something?"

"I may not have the answer, but sure, shoot."

Beast Boy searched his mind for the easiest way to introduce the subject he had been spending the past few years of his life trying to avoid.

"Would you say we're okay friends, Rae?"

"Well, although you do genuinely reach my last nerve at times, you've never given me any real reason to be my enemy. Now that I think about it, you've treated me with more kindness than anyone I've ever met. I guess you could say we're better friends than it appears. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, no reason I guess. Just curious." 'Whew, _Dodged a bullet_', Beast Boy thought to himself.

Raven could sense his relief through the use of her powers, unfortunately for Beast Boy.

"No. There's something more. I want you to tell me what's on your mind."

Beast Boy tried his best to hide his obvious fear.

"They're my thoughts. I think it's my right to keep them to myself, thank you very much."

"Fine then. Have it your way. I won't bother asking anymore."

The duo continued walking to the tower, while Beast Boy felt defeated by his fear.

Beast Boy attempted to get the tables to turn. "What's on_ your_ mind Rae?"

"Do you honestly want to know that?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you'll tell me, that is."

"I'm wondering if what is on your mind, is the same as what is on my mind."

Beast Boy paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. '_What is that supposed to mean? What in the world could we possibly both be thinking!?' _After a few more seconds of thinking, he was able to catch Raven's faint hint.

"I hope so."

Raven thought for certain Beast Boy would at least tell her what he was really thinking. She was disappointed, yet hopeful. She had felt a sort of fondness for the green teen from the start, but she had always doubted that it could be anymore than friendship material. Apparently, it had required a betrayal and a little alone time to convince her that Beast Boy was actually worth much more to her than a friend. He had always treated her with respect and had always helped in her in every way he possibly could, yet she had never returned the favor once. She never even so much as thanked him._ 'He must hate me. That's why he won't tell me.'_

_"_Hello?! Earth-to-Rae!", Beast Boy said, playfully knocking on Raven's head.

She couldn't help but smile at his childlike personality.

"Sorry, I zoned out a little. I was just thinking."

"That's okay Raven! Because I have come up with a solution to our problem!"

"Our problem?"

"Yeah! I know we both want to say something, but since we both refuse to tell our thoughts first, we can write them down!"

By this time, the two had already reached the tower and Beast Boy had set out a pencil and paper.

"So, how is this any different than just saying it out loud?"

"Because Rae, we won't write out our thoughts completely."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"We will think of what we want to say, and then we will write the first letter of each word. I'll show you an example."

Beast Boy took the pencil, and on the paper wrote: " s." Below this he wrote, "I want to eat a tofu sandwich."

Raven thought it was a waste of time, but went along with the idea. Taking the pencil from Beast Boy, she wrote: " h, m."

"Okay now it's your turn."

Underneath Raven's 'sentence' he wrote: " s, h."

Beast Boy tore the paper in half, giving Raven his writing, and taking the half she had written. They both stared at the strange code the other had made, until Beast Boy became tired of the silence.

"I hope you understand mine."

Raven looked up at him with a shadow of a smile on her face, "I do."

"Do you understand mine, Gar?"

"I think I get most of it", he said, frustrated that he couldn't fully understand the way of writing he had invented.

"I'll clear it up for you"

Raven took the pencil and wrote out her message. "You are the best friend I have ever had, but I would love to be something more."

Before reading the girl's message, Beast Boy completed his sentence, then handed it to Raven. She took the note which read, "I hope you feel the same, because I love you with all my heart.

After both had realized that their feelings were requited, they stood, simply smiling at each other. As usual, Beast Boy felt led to end the awkward feeling the silence caused him.

"So..um..what do we do now?"

Beast Boy was surprised when Raven suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a Starfire-worthy hug, and answered him.

"We love."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Before any possible pervs read this let me clarify, what Raven said does not mean they had sex right then and there okay! She means it in the literal sense of the word. This chapter is supposed to be cute, not smutty so don't get any ideas! Also, I hope you thought their confession wasn't too cheezy lol.


	5. Chapter 5

_'Wow_', Beast Boy thought, as he began to organize the mess surrounding him.

_'Only a week ago I was thinking I was destined to be 'forever alone', and now I have Raven, of all people, as a girlfriend.'_

He cringed at that last word. Although he could not possibly be more content with sharing a relationship with the first 'true love' of his life, he had trouble getting over the fact of who that person was. She was the girl who never laughed at his jokes, never gave him so much as a passing glance, and occasionally, even threw him out of windows. A part of him was excited, desiring nothing but to jump right into the relationship, but another part of him was scared beyond comprehension. Beast Boy continued with his mental battle, while he cleaned the rest of his room. After placing all of his belongings into their rightful places, he began vacuuming his carpet. Once this task was complete, he quickly dusted and waxed every microscopic inch of his living quarters. He even went through the trouble of alphabetically organizing his manga collection, which, needless-to-say, was quite extensive.

One would wonder why Beast Boy, normally the most laid back, untidy member of the Titans, would suddenly become a 'Mr. Clean'. This perfectly rational question can be answered with a perfectly logical explanation.

Beast Boy was afraid. After finishing the work on his room, he examined his surroundings and was very satisfied with its condition. It was at this time that he returned his focus to the conflict welling up inside of him.

* * *

'_Well, at least she won't be able to complain about my room being a mess. What am I so worried about!? I know I wouldn't do anything to make her angry, why should I be worried about that?'_

Beast Boy's thoughts were justified. Some girls can be irritable as it is, but when that girl is the daughter of a demonic overlord, causing her anger could be rather risky.

Beast Boy attempted to encourage himself. ''Just get over it Garfield. You'll do fine. Just treat her with respect as you always do. If you mess up, don't fret. Relationships are not as difficult as you think.''

* * *

He forced himself to forget all negative thoughts and prepared himself for the day ahead. Even though the two had only confessed their feelings for each other the day before, Beast Boy felt today would be the best day for their first 'official' date. Changing out of his standard purple and black uniform, he opted for black jeans and a pair of black Converse shoes. While selecting a shirt, he chose one which had been a past Christmas present from Raven. The shirt displayed the initials 'SP'. Raven had tried to explain to him that they were the initials for a band that called themselves 'The Smashing Pumpkins'. Beast Boy never understood why they condoned cruelty against one of his favorite vegetables, but he had to admit that their music was very interesting to listen to, even if he didn't understand most of the lyrics.

* * *

Beast Boy walked out of his room and knocked on Raven's door.

"Who is it?" Raven asked in her standard monotone.

"It's just me Rae."

The door swished open. Although Raven was closer to Beast Boy than she had ever been, she still refused to allow him into her room.

"Are you ready?" asked Beast Boy.

"Um..for what?"

Beast Boy tried to hide his faint sense of disappointment. "For our date, remember? I thought I told you last night?''

"Oh! Right. I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. Can you give me like thirty minutes?"

"Yeah it's fine."

* * *

As Beast Boy waited for Raven to finish preparing for their date, he kept doubting himself.

_'She'll think it's stupid. She'll go on our date, then realize that she doesn't really want me like she thinks she does.'_ Beast Boy hid his insecurities very well, but in reality, he always underestimated himself.

_'Maybe I can get Star's advice.' _he thought to himself.

* * *

The green teen walked down the halls to Starfire's room. After knocking several times without an answer, he decided to search elsewhere. When he found her, she was sitting on the large sofa in the common room, sipping on a bottle of mustard while watching her favorite show, ''World of Fungus."

"Hey Star, do you mind if I ask you for some advice?"

Starfire replied, while pausing the television. Beast Boy had recently taught her the wonders of TiVo.

"I will do my best to aid you friend Beast Boy."

He sat down next to her. Even though he wasn't ashamed of his feelings for Raven, no one but the two knew up to that point. He tried to find the right way to tell her.

"Well, Star. Raven and I are now, what I would call, boyfriend and girlfriend. I planned out a date for us tonight, but I'm afraid she won't enjoy it as much as I had hoped."

Starfire appeared strangely disappointed at hearing this, but Beast Boy was apparently oblivious to it.

"I wish I could be of assistance to you, but I do not believe friend Raven enjoys what I enjoy. As such, my opinion would be most unhelpful to you. Also, I am not experienced in the field of the dating."

Beast Boy considered this for a moment. "But what about you and Robin? Hasn't he taken you out before?"

Starfire gazed at the floor with a frown on her face. "Although he told me he had the feelings for me in Tokyo, he has become rather distant from me at these times. Although I still share a longing for him in my heart, I have become suspicious that he does not."

Beast Boy found himself at a loss for words.

"Do not worry friend. I will remain strong", Starfire said with a weak smile.

"I-I'm so sorry Star. I didn't know."

"It is okay friend, like I said I will remain strong. I only wish I could be of more assistance to you friend Beast Boy."

"No, it's fine Star. I understand."

* * *

Beast Boy walked back to Raven's room still feeling guilty for leaving Starfire alone in her sadness.

"Well, I guess I'm ready now" , Raven said as she walked out into the hallway. She was wearing a pair of gray Converse shoes, black capris, and a black-and-white checkered t-shirt.

Beast Boy grinned from ear to ear.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Raven by the arm.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hmm... Looks like a bit of Star/BB stuff could be in the works here. Who knows? Having never seen the Titans in civilian clothes, I tried to just reflect parts of myself through that. Hopefully it turned out okay. If you haven't listened to any SP songs, I think you should. I really enjoy them anyway. As promised, more to come!


	6. Chapter 6

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Raven by the arm.

* * *

Raven was not quite sure what was in store for her, but she had low expectations. It was not that she doubted Beast Boy's expertise in dating, but..well...okay, that's exactly what it was.

_'He probably doesn't even have anything planned'_, she thought to herself.

As they were walking into the city, Beast Boy looked over, seeing Raven's deadpan expression.

"Is there something wrong, Rae?" He asked.

"Well, not exactly, I was just wondering If you had anything specifically planned for today."

"Of course I do Rae! I wouldn't ever want to disappoint you!"

"Really, Beast Boy? It better not be some stupid movie."

"Nope. It's even better!" Beast Boy answered, proudly displaying an ear-to-ear smile.

* * *

Raven found herself standing outside a three-story, Victorian style building. This building was usually the home of the Jump City Orchestra, but today that was not the case. As the two made their way up the marble staircase, Raven read the sign above the main entrance. The sign read-

**'One Night Only-The Fantastical Phil Fillington'**

**'Watch as he performs his wonderful works of whimsy'**

* * *

"A magic show? We're seeing a magic show?"

"I knew you would be excited Rae! We have to hurry before all the good seats get taken!" Beast Boy grabbed Raven's arm for the umpteenth time that day and ran with her to the front row. They sat down in their seats, which were no more than a foot from the stage. Surprisingly, they were the only people in the building.

"Uh, Beast Boy. What time does this start?"

"In thirty minutes. I wanted to make sure we got here early enough to get good seats," Beast Boy explained.

"We definitely have the best seats here, but why did you take me to a magic show?"

"Well, I know how you're into real magic; but since I couldn't find any wizards near Jump City, I figured this would be the next best thing."

Raven did enjoy watching magic shows ever since she was a small child. Seeing people perform levitations, disappearing acts, and other tricks of the sort, made her feel less strange in a world crowded with 'normal' people. Unfortunately, she had discovered soon after that these tricks were merely tricks, and her magical abilities were unique to her. She still found illusions amusing, but after the situations she had run into involving Mumbo, she had developed a dislike for magicians. Despite all of this, she did her best to appreciate Beast Boy's originality.

"Thanks, Beast Boy. That's very..thoughtful of you."

The two spent their time waiting retelling stories of their adventures together as Titans, and gave their opinions of grown men running in capes and Speedos. They also tried guessing Robin's eye color, since neither had ever seen him without his mask on. They agreed that his eyes were most likely brown, due to his black hair color, although blue was their second guess.

Eventually the auditorium became filled with people, all of them eager to see Phil Fillington's whimsical wonders. After a brief introduction by an unseen announcer, a short, gray-haired man walked to the front of the stage. He wore a traditional magician's uniform: a black, silk top hat and a black tuxedo. Setting in front of the man was a small card table with a red tablecloth.

"Good evening everyone. As you now all know I am Phil Fillington. Although this is my début as an illusionist, I assure you the following performance will be anything but amateur. Over a course of several years I have designed and practiced the spectacular sights you will witness tonight. I will do everything in my power to satisfy your craving for entertainment. Without a further ado, I shall begin."

Phil knelt behind the table, retrieving a wooden box. Setting the box upon the table, "Behold. An ordinary box." Raven and Beast Boy, as well as the others in the crowd, examined the box from a distance. It appeared very plain. The box was made from a dark wood, and had a lid with two brass hinges. The lid was fastened on by a silver lock. On top of the lid was a small, copper handle.

"For this trick," the magician announced, "I shall require two volunteers."

Beast Boy turned to his left and smiled at Raven. Before he had time to say anything Raven stopped him.

"Don't even think about it."

Beast Boy started nudging her shoulder. "Oh come on Rae! It'll be fun!"

Raven had no time to resist. She soon found herself at the stairs of the stage, Beast Boy dragging her against her will. She did not have stage fright. Although she considered her poetry very personal, and rarely ever shared it with anyone, she would occasionally recite a poem or two at the local tea shop/library. Through this she had overcome any form of stage fright, but she still hated moments where she was the center of attention. This was one of those moments.

Unfortunately it was too late, as Beast Boy had already taken her to the stage.

"If it isn't two of Jump City's Titans!" Phil exclaimed as they approached the front of the stage.

"If you can come this way please," the magician directed the two to the table with the wooden box.

"As you can see, this is an ordinary box. First, I shall request the lovely lady beside me to lift this box off the table."

Raven walked up to the box and placed her hand on the handle. She hesitated, thinking it was a trick. Then, she lifted the box off the table.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Raven. You may take your seat now."

She didn't have to be asked twice. Raven quickly returned to her seat, evading the attention of the audience.

"Now, Beast Boy, I shall ask you to do the same as your friend has done."

Beast Boy walks toward the box and pops his knuckles, as if warming up. "This'll be a piece of cake."

He wraps his fingers around the copper handle and begins to lift, but something strange happens. The box absolutely will not budge! He uses both of his hands, bending his knees for extra support. No matter how much he struggles, the box refuses to give in.

Phil notices his frustration. "Have you given up sir"?

Beast Boy looks down at his shoes, and replies, shame in his voice. "Y-yes, I give up. I just can't lift it."

"It's okay Beast Boy, perhaps you simply need to work out more," Phil says, while picking up the box and placing it back under the table.

Beast Boy walks back to his seat.

Raven smirks at him. "Looks as if I'm stronger than you."

"Whatever, Rae. It's just a stupid trick." Beast Boy frowns, crossing his arms.

"I was just joking Beast Boy."

"I'm sorry Rae, I guess I got a little carried away." Beast Boy replies, now smiling slightly.

* * *

The two stayed for the majority of the show, of which consisted of common stage tricks. One of Phil Fillington's tricks was unexpected. Somehow, he had managed to pull a hat out of a rabbit. This was not one of the most pleasant sights to see, and many of the audience members wondered how the hat had found its way into the rabbit in the first place. Beast Boy and Raven left in the middle of this trick, not wishing to see more.

"So, do you have anything else _amazing_ planned for the night?" Raven asked.

"I don't know about amazing, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hopefully this is going okay. The entire plot is not completely set in stone, so deciding which way each chapter directs the story is a tad difficult for me. However, I promise more chapters to come.


	7. Author's Note

I am so sorry for anyone that is following this. Sadly, school has begun and I will be busy with my college classes I am taking this year. I hate trying to be an over achiever! Anyways, I promise to finish this eventually. Writer's block and busy schedule will be pushing update dates a little or a lot later, but I hope to have at least one update made before December. Once again, thank you for giving my writing a chance!


End file.
